Kurgen: "You are right. It is my duty to help those in need without hesitation, regardless of the concequences. And there may be no greater need than the one our friend is in. He,.. can I speak freely?" You nod."He hopes that you would grant him political asylum. He is wanted for a crime he didn't commit. As are several others who are with him. But there is much more to it and it could be dangerous for you and your kind and ... oh... and I would understand if you deemed it too risky." He looks at his hands again. "But even if you can't give us shelter, maybe you can at least help us in another way? One of the group is severely wounded and will die if he is left untreated. I did all I could, but it isn't enough. There is noone else we could ask. Please help us." So guilt is also among the feelings he is struggling to control. You can't help but feel pity for the boy. Now that you had the time to take a closer look at him you notice the dark rings under his eyes and the dirt drying on the hams of his robes. Dirt? No, the way it smells it is filthy sewerage. And is that blood on his sleeves? Quanire surely has been through much. As if on command his stomach rumbles. Loudly. And immediately he blushes. Then he finally makes eye contact and you see a hopefull plea mixed with fear.

"My boy," I respond, laughing, "you have done well in this. Why, based on the character I've seen in the extraordinary youth of this city, I should never fear for its future. Of course, I will see to our wounded friend. Asylum is not my purview. I will mention it to my master and he will make that decision. Give me their location."Quanire does so, relief flooding his features. "Oh, thank you, Mas...erm...Kurgen."I smile at the lad. "Now, I'm afraid we don't have much in your size," I say, nodding to his filthy clothes, "but we'll see what we can do about getting you clean and some food in your belly. When you are attended to, remember, you are here to tend these guardsmen. I have worked hard to develop a rapport with them, so I ask that you treat them well and reflect well on myself and, above all, your Lady. It will make all things easier in the future. When I return, you can help me find my friend." I see him tended to, leave a message with Njalla for Baldir, and strike out to "get supplies."

Kurgen: Quanire thanks you for your hospitility and promisses you to tend to the watchmen. "What is this disease that causes you trouble? Maybe I can help?" Do you tell him about the nature of the mysterious illnes?After you have taken care of things you fetch your healer's bag and strike out. On the way out the captain questions you but you put him off with some half-truths. You follow the directions the boy has given you. It is nearly half an hour's walk away, you estimate. You, too, have to pass a checkpoint and are interrogated again before you finally reach a very run down shack in a shady side allay. Hard to believe humans would live in such a place. You knock twice then twice again. Simple enough.

Nabul: You think it should be nearly noon when someone knocks on the door. Finally.

That's the signal: four knocks. I try to peep through the door to see Quanire, but the door is solid, thick, and wooden. There is no space to see through. Cautiously, I open the door a crack. Could it be the city guards? Have they apprehended Quanire and tortured the information out of him? Before me I see a single dwarf, of a solid build and stature.

"Who are you? I do not think we've met before, but I believe we have a mutual friend. Please, come in - and quickly." My voice falls to a whisper "Before anyone sees us. Terrible evil is afoot and the eyes are watching everywhere."

I bustle inside, closing the thick wooden door behind me as gently but as quickly as I can. I take a quick look around the room. Essentially empty, a storeroom of some kind. I see no one else present. This makes me wary, so I stand by the door. "Aye," I say slowly, "I was sent by a servant of the White Dove. He expressed grave concern over a comrade, said he had heard Golgari's Wings. I am the Healer...is the man present?" I look around the room again, meaningfully.

"I will take you to him, so long as you give me your word and honor that he will come to no harm other than the pains of treatment. He and I are wanted men, and if that is enough for you to turn us in, then i will be forced to strike you down where you stand. I cannot tell you our 'crime' yet, but I assure you that it is merely a falsification." Assuming he agrees, I lead him to Brandon.

"I am no enforcer of your laws and I don't particularly care about your crimes, falsified or not. I am here at the behest of the white goddess' servant, to treat a man who I may yet know and wish to help anyway. Regardless, the servant and I have a deal and I am no oathbreaker." I make a sour face at the mere thought of it. "What I am is a healer and I'd like to do my job before this man dies." I look the bedraggled figure before me dead in the eyes. "And in case you get any bright ideas, I'll have you know I'm a fairly competent warrior myself and there is nothing in my Healer's Oath that prevents me from beating you bloody, boy." I wave my hand vaguely at the interior of the house. "Now, we can be done with this posturing...or you can wake up in a little while with a fresh headache and some of my nice, new bandages." I shake my healer's kit at him.

Dunno if IVhorseman wants to say or do anything in the interim.

I assume when I see Brandon, I put two and two together to confirm my suspicions?

I follow the boy into the cellar, where Brandon lies unconscious. I set about quickly treating the wound and using Healing Touch. A warm glow spreads from my hands into Brandon's arm. There is a lightness of being in the air as the magic of Life takes root in this place.

You're rolling for this stuff, right, knolli? I have a SPC of 13 for Healing Touch. I'll keep popping it every round until he's healed, if I can heal him.

As Kurgen treats Brandon of his injuries, I regale the story of the conspiracy in full detail. I tell him about what I saw both times I visited the spirit world. I tell him about our escape. I tell him about the mind control. I tell him about the other knights who I fear may not have made it to the Embassy. But most of all, I tell him how scared I am.

"I did not mean to threaten you earlier, by the way. There's just been so much deceit around every corner... I've had to stay on my toes, and it's exhausting."

Inwardly, I am deeply worried. For my friends, first and foremost, but also for the depth of this conspiracy. If what the boy says is true, by all the god's above, we are in for hellish days ahead. All the way to the King! What power and influence such a villain must wield. And with the ruler of the nation as a thrall, the implications for the Dwarven Embassy were dire.

Outwardly, I radiate confidence. I give the boy necromancer a hearty slap on the shoulder and grin. "Not to worry, lad, not to worry." I lay a finger alongside my craggy nose. "We still have a good deal of friends in this place." I give Nebul some food and supplies, the meager amount I was able to smuggle out in my kit. "You stay here and lie low. I will return for you once I have secured the resources I require to protect you all. I will also go and seek the others. They had not yet arrived at our gates when I departed them. Do you know the path they may have taken?"

That's how you play roleplaying games! You amaze me. Even without my meddling you keep the game running.

According to the rules Kurgen is able to restore Brandon to full health (points) easily. But for the benefit of more drama, well, that would be too easy. And if the knight was at his full strength again, he would be bound to resume command and that would be boring for you. That's why:

Kurgen: You treat the wounds, but your spell fails. You try again, this time with more effort. The spell connects, but the result is only a fraction of what you would have expected. Curses! This wound is cursed and it is beyond you to remove this blasted dark magic. But that doesn't stop you. You made a promise and you are no oathbreaker. You keep trying. And trying. You will not give up.And finally after what seems like hours the wound looks better. Not by much, but enough not to kill him until you find the means to cure him. Sir Brandon looks better now. Still weak, true, but better. His fever dropped, his face got back some color and his breath is steady. He is still unconcious, though.

Nebul: While Kurgen treats the Knight's wounded arm, your blood runs cold. Necromancy! You find the source in the crippled arm. A look at the dwarf confirms he has noticed it, too. Most likely a curse. A very vile one because it was hidden until someone tried to use white magic on it. That had to be the reason you hadn't discovered it before. After a while Kurgen is too absorbed in his task to pay any attention to your report. Since you have nothing else to do you study the curse. Not to use it on others, of course, but in the hopes to find a way to counter it. What you discover very soon is that is is very complex and surpasses your current understanding. In a very twisted and evil way it is a piece of art, you have to admit. Master Laurence would never show you something powerfull like this. This is your chance to study something very advanced. And you are determined to use it. You concentrate on the flow of dark mana and try to recognise a pattern. You observe how the curse actively cancels what must be the Kurgen's healing spell.After what seems to you like only minutes, Kurgen turns around. "This wil have to do for now." Sweat is running down his forehead.Sir Brandon looks better now. Still weak, true, but better. His fever dropped, his face got back some color and his breath is steady. He is still unconcious, though.

Right proverb, but in the wrong universe, unfortunately. The afterlife is completely different here than it is in the world of The Dark Eye. For example it is generally much easier to get to the gates of paradise. Even an apprentice mage can do it. (Well, you could say that it is a special and rare talent Nebul has.) And here Golgari is a high priest and not the a giant raven. Or is he?

knolli wrote:Right proverb, but in the wrong universe, unfortunately. The afterlife is completely different here than it is in the world of The Dark Eye. For example it is generally much easier to get to the gates of paradise. Even an apprentice mage can do it. (Well, you could say that it is a special and rare talent Nebul has.) And here Golgari is a high priest and not the a giant raven. Or is he?

Haha, well, damn. I was trying to connect to the setting but I do seem to remember you mentioning or alluding to that before. My fault.

"Perhaps by now the other group of soldiers have made it to the embassy, but we should not worry if they have not. I have left them with a former prisoner who knows the undercity streets well, and he may have found them a good place to hide. Either way, we will need to move out. I feel that the local criminals may be using this abandoned house as a storeroom, and we had best leave before then. Our priorities are as follows:" I count the list off on my fingers-locate a safer hideout-locate the other lions guard group-treat brandon's curse-Find master Laurence-Stop the evil necromancer by any means possible

"Finding my master will help us treat Brandon as well as aiding in our quest to stop the necromancer, but we should also consider using the criminal underworld of the city to our advantage. Before, I had suggested to my company that we convince the mockingbirds that the recent uproar will distract the crown enough to allow an easy robbery, and then use their doomed raiding party as a distraction to infiltrate the castle when we need to. I also managed to spread a rumor about a plague having hit the city. That may serve as an excellent diversion as well."

"I hope you are right. The boy, Eadmund, has been a good friend to us. I will leave that planning to you. You seem to have an excellent grasp of the situation. I will work on securing safety in the meantime." I smile grimly. "How...fortunate was your timing with the rumor of plague. That was the very excuse I used to see the King's guard from our Hall. They now guard it's gates. Your young friend is there now, 'protecting' them. We must, however, act very very quickly. I planted the notion in the Captain of the Watch's mind that the plague was of Dwarven origin and of no real harm to his men or the citizens of your city. Though I have claimed to have isolated it, evidence produced by your own trickery may yet prove otherwise in the minds of the authorities. Soon thereafter, I wonder if the Dwarven Embassy will remain...occupied." I pinch my nose. "Oh, ugh, this is why Dwarves do not lie. The good that springs from it rarely outweighs the evil. In any case, we may yet be able to take advantage of the chaos...but the longer we tarry, the harder we will have to struggle to accomplish any one of those priorities."